About

Danielle Prestejohn, NASM CPT, MS Nutrition, is a devoted CrossFitter, Group Fitness Instructor, and Health
Coach. Residing in Boston, MA she is the blogger behind CleanFoodCreativeFitness.com and has a passion for all things
nutrition and fitness. She hopes to share this passion and enthusiasm for health with all those in the Diet.com
community!

Danielle Prestejohn

Best Ways to Hydrate

Hydration is one of those nutrition topics that is often overlooked but it so important and critical to our overall health! A majority of our bodies are comprised of water so it is extremely important to remain hydrated throughout the day, especially considering your activity level. Water loss during exercise can eventually lead to a decrease in performance. If you workout often or in extreme heat, the amount of water you need each day is going to increase!

The number one choice for hydration is water. Try to drink at least half of your body weight in ounces of water daily. Another way to figure how much water to drink is to aim to drink 1mL per calorie consumed per day (1800 calories a day would equal 1.8L).

We often mistake our thirst for hunger and rather than drinking the water we need, we eat something! Be aware of this! When you start to feel hungry, drink some water and wait 5 minutes... Still hungry? My biggest piece of advice is to drink before you feel thirsty. Don't get to that point of excessive thirst and dehydration - drink water all day long to avoid it!

Some other Paleo options for drinks:

- Coconut Water: This is an excellent choice for replenishing electrolyte sources post workout. Be cautious of the flavored coconut waters, if aiming for weight loss. They tend to have fruit juice added and therefore more sugar

- Coffee: You do not need to cut out coffee on Paleo! Just make sure you skip the cream and sugar. If you must, you can always add in coconut milk, or heavy cream if you are okay with dairy.

- Tea: Any kind of unsweetened tea is Paleo. Again make sure it is unsweetened and do not add in sugar.

- Almond milk/Coconut milk: Make sure to check the labels for these. While some are 100% Paleo others have additives in them that aren't. If you are not super strict it is okay to have the non-Paleo ones occasionally.

- Fruit Juice: While this is Paleo, if nothing is added, it is not your best option. Fruit juice is extremely high in sugar and concentrated so it is often pretty caloric. Think of it like this: you would drink a cup of apple juice easily in one sitting but you wouldn't necessarily eat three apples in one sitting. If you are aiming for weight loss, cut out fruit juice. The fruit also gets stripped of its fiber when it is juiced. There are better options.

- Avoid: Sodas, even diet, coffee drinks with anything other than coffee, alcohol (tequila and vodka made from grapes are technically Paleo but still limit), milk, juices with anything other than fruit

Tips to Drink more Water:

Add Ice...it helps me drink more

Add in frozen berries as ice

Mix in a splash of fruit juice

Add chia seeds and lemon to your water

Unsweetened iced decaf tea can count towards your water intake (the lack of caffeine is the reason why)

Here are some good drink recipes... (remember these are not replacements for water!)

Coffee:

I drink my coffee with just a little unsweetened vanilla almond breeze

Get creative with flavoring....top with cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice, add in flavored stevia (NuNaturals Stevia has some really great flavors), a drop of coconut oil (a great source of lauric acid and good for hair and skin), or a drop of honey